The present invention relates to synthetic textiles containing photochromic pigments.
Photochromic pigments are those which reversibly change color when exposed to light. Generally the color-change inducing light has a wavelength in the visible or near visible range. Other factors which may affect the color of these pigments include temperature, moisture, electricity, and gases. Photochromic pigments have previously been applied to textiles by coating processes. Such coated textiles have aesthetic qualities associated with the photochromic pigments. However, these textiles are not sufficiently color-fast and their aesthetic qualities are readily destroyed by soiling.
Due to the thermal lability of photochromic pigments, it has proved difficult to directly incorporate such pigments into synthetic fibers.